


Who We Were

by disasterdoodles



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Mentions of Insanity, Some violence (not graphic), futuristic AU, mentions of experimentation, soulmate themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24526159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disasterdoodles/pseuds/disasterdoodles
Summary: Ladybug is a trained supersoldier with a memory that only reaches back a year. She doesn't expect to learn anything about her past, until her team has to face Chat Noir, a top soldier from the opposing side of what feels like an endless war. And it turns out that she's not the only one looking for answers.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire | Rena Rouge/Nino Lahiffe | Carapace, Plagg/Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 52





	1. Ladybug

Their bases were built to be some of the most secure places on the entire planet, and most of the time they succeeded in their goal. That is- until a certain black cat got himself involved. 

The alarm blared from the speakers above Ladybug's head, harsh, impossible to ignore, and forcing her to drag herself into the rest of her uniform and get out there. Slipping her feet into the waiting pair of boots she grabbed her visor, sliding it into place and attaching the earpiece. Immediately the voices of her team filled her ears in place of the robotic screech of the siren as she ran out of the room.

"There she is!" Rena Rouge crowed over the link. "Sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep, Bug, but we can't handle this one without you."

"What's the issue, and where?" She turned a corner, hooking her yo-yo to her hip.

"Chat Noir and a team of two akuma." That was Carapace, clear as day. "He got them past our defences- there’s one in our security room, and it seems like he's headed for-"

"The records!" Ryuuko was far too loud for this time of day, but she was the one darting past and pulling her out of sight of the security cameras. "Carapace and Rena are headed for the security rooms. Stay out of sight. What's the plan?"

"Um-" Two hours of sleep was not enough for her to be expected to be coherent. "Keep the information safe. That's our top priority. Aim to capture, not to kill. I want Ryuuko and Viperion to go in with me. Bee, go join the other two and the three of you go find the rest of his team. Ready?"

A chorus of 'ready's and they were in action. A flash of teal in her peripheral vision told her that Viperion had caught up with them as the trio rushed to catch the notorious Chat Noir.

Apparently he'd been a threat ever since she could remember, although that wasn't exactly a long time. Her memory only extended to a year and a half prior to the current date, the only knowledge from before that being her code-name, her age, and a skill-set that she couldn't recall how she got. But Chat Noir had been a constant since then, although they'd never met in person. 

Out of all the akuma, he was the one she couldn't understand. The majority of the akuma soldiers were hyper-focused on revenge or causing mayhem. Chat Noir seemed the sanest of all of them, even if he made no sense to her. He was quick, agile, and had a certain flair for the dramatic, choosing pyrotechnics and destruction over simply getting what he needed and getting out.

Unfortunately for him, he chose the wrong base to break into.

The door to the records was sealed shut despite the lifeless looking bodies lying by the door. A quick pulse check proved them to only be unconscious, but it was still enough to show that he was here. Although what he wanted with the archives was a mystery to her. It was simply records of battles, everything they could possibly find on the enemy and the room itself was only occasionally used to talk strategy. 

So what did he want from there?

She held up a hand, Viperion setting his hand on the door while Ryuuko readied her sword, dropping into a proper stance. Ladybug began counting down on her fingers as she herself reached for her weapon.  
Three...  
Two...  
One.

The door was slammed open to reveal a tall figure leaning against one of the tables meant for reviewing the records, the lamp turned on and illuminating his silhouette. He hadn't even flinched when he heard the door open, hadn't turned around yet. It clearly threw Ryuuko for a loop, her sword wavering as she glanced at Ladybug for some kind of instruction. But her eyes were fixed on the figure ahead of them, finally breaking the silence herself. "Chat Noir, I presume?"

"You'd be correct." He turned, tilting his head in a mannerism reminiscent of his namesake, his visor still keeping everything above his cheekbones out of sight. "And the famed Ladybug. What an honour it is." His hand strayed behind his back and she could see her teammates tense up in her peripheral. "I don't suppose you'll let me go if I say please?"

"Like hell." Viperion muttered, and she nodded.

"He's right. We can't exactly just let you go after you've broken into several bases, blown up or set fire to a majority of them and killed dozens of people. I believe we have a cell with your name on it."

His only reaction was a sigh as he pulled a metal baton out from behind him, pressing a button to extend it into a staff. "That's a shame. We're doing this the hard way." It took him a heartbeat to drop and knock Viperion off balance, and in the blink of an eye that it took her to help steady him, he was out the door.

"In pursuit of Chat Noir now. He's heading towards Bee as we speak." Ryuuko's voice crackled over the earpiece, Ladybug the second out the door and following. Her time spent at this base had made her an expert at learning it's secrets- she'd figured out the twists and turns better than anyone else on her team.

Which meant that she cut him off just as he made it to the roof, the catwalk to the entrance where she stood being his only escape route. 

"Your luck seems to have run out, hasn't it Chat Noir?"

"That's ironic, seeing as I'm standing with a ladybug." He flashed her a smug grin. 

"Aren't black cats meant to be unlucky?" She drawled, unhooking her yo-yo from her hip and pulling the string taut. 

"Maybe so." He twirled the baton easily between his fingers, not even looking at it as he examined her. "Do we really need to fight? I've heard you're quite good, and while I'd love to see it in person one day, I'd rather not have it all be aimed at me."

"At least you're smart enough to know that." She raised an eyebrow. "Unfortunately I can't let you leave."

He sighed, the baton extending again. "Come on, Bugaboo. You're clearly sleep deprived. Even super-soldiers need their rest. I'm sure you'd give me a fight, but I'd win."

"Don't call me Bugaboo, and that's a risk I'm willing to take. But don't take too long to decide what you're doing. I have a team that's going to figure out where I am sooner rather than later."

His jaw set and his eyes narrowed as he charged at her. Two hits, meant to knock her off balance and confuse her, but she was able to dodge it easily, ducking under his arm and landing a solid hit to his gut. He stumbled back, and she retracted her visor to see him better in the dim light. He snapped his own back, shaking a head of blond hair and dropping into a fighting stance, raising his baton to swing as his remarkably green eyes met her own and he froze.

They both froze.

It simultaneously felt like ice water had been dumped on her, waking her up from a deep sleep she hadn't known she'd been in and a warmth in her chest that she didn't recognise. 

'Come on Bugaboo, we both know you can take me in a fight.'

The words echoed in her mind and she was aware that the world had begun to spin before her eyes, throwing off her stability. 

Shouts from below.  
The electrical hum of the lights and the mechanical clicking and beeping of the technology around her.  
The voices screaming at her from her near muted earpiece.  
They’d all become too loud, the previously dim lights becoming far too bright around her. It looked like Chat Noir was escaping, although it seemed to be at a stagger- he clearly wasn’t in any better state than she was. 

Time seemed to blur, the world swam before her eyes, and next thing she knew she was being held up by Rena and Bee as everyone demanded to know things from her.

It took her about fifteen minutes to fully recover from what had happened, Rena having dragged her off to her room and telling her to get back to sleep.  
She forced herself to breathe as she followed through her rehearsed routine. Her visor on her bedside table, her boots lined up next to her bed. Everything perfectly in order and in their designated places. Organised. Perfect.

And then she let the chaos of the night seep into her head once more.

What the hell had just happened to her?


	2. Chat Noir

There was something wrong with him. There had to be. He was the best of the best, and he'd been taken out by eye contact. Sure, it was eye contact that had felt like he'd taken his own baton to the back of his head, but eye contact nonetheless. Everything had gone strange after that, his stomach turning as he felt the blood drain from his face. It was nothing short of a miracle that he was able to get down the rooftop and stay unseen as he staggered back to his current base. 

And he hadn't even been able to get the records he'd been instructed to retrieve, although maybe he could allow himself to let that one slide. After all, the description of what he’d had to find had been incredibly vague, and his team had ditched him.  
Akuma were unstable, and yet he'd still been sent with two of them. They fed off of each other, leaving him to not only attempt to succeed in his personal mission, but also to run the whole operation on his own as the two Akuma acted as a distraction. 

One had made it to the security room, able to call things out as the entirety of the elite team that he hadn't been informed had been at the base had gone after him. But he wasn't the best of the best for nothing.  
Evading all but one, he was sure he could take her. Even if it was Ladybug. But there had been something about her and then...

'You know I can, Chaton. But is that going to stop you from trying?'

It had been her voice, that was clear, in a lilting tease that he couldn't have possibly heard from her before. It couldn't have been some kind of new tech meant to mess with his mind, could it? Even if it was, it shouldn't have affected her as badly as it did.

Calling out the password at the entrance, he walked in, just wanting to get back to his room and crash- it was possible that he could sleep off the effects of whatever she'd done to him. But of course it was never that easy. He could tell when someone was tailing him from a mile away.

"You can come out, Volpina. I know it's you." The words were cold, and he didn't stop walking. Volpina had a habit of making him uncomfortable, her spoken loyalty to his father, but an unspoken one to herself, first and foremost. She'd been the only akuma to volunteer for more 'enhancements' after the original, and while she seemed the most sane of them all, there was something twisted about her that made him shudder. 

She melted out of the shadows, her orange uniform standing out in a way it should have long before. "You're too smart for me." She said smoothly, following alongside him. "Even when you’re in this state.”  
He could let the subtle jab at his overall appearance go, until she spoke again. “Your father knows you're back, by the way. And he doesn't exactly seem pleased with you."

The words caused his stomach to twist unpleasantly. Hawkmoth was a far more difficult person to be around when he was unhappy. But he turned around, starting to make his way back up to his father's office, Volpina keeping stride. "You really do look awful though. Care to explain what happened to you?"

"Not at all."

She raised an eyebrow, gaze scrutinising before she sighed. "Oh come on, Chaton. You know I can't read you, so talk already. Was it some kind of tech?"

Chaton. Why had the word hit him the way it did? Volpina called him that all the time. He'd gone quiet while she chattered on, before she realised he'd tuned out long ago.  
"I want an answer, you know." She demanded, eyes narrowing.

He sighed, spotting the door he was looking for up ahead. "I'm sure it was just some sort of new tech they've come up with, yeah. I know that I should avoid it now. Was that all?"  
He was on the receiving end of a sharp glare, Volpina huffing and spinning on her heel. 

One thing dealt with and one to go.  
A call from someone inside the room, and he stepped in, closing the door behind him.

An immediate chill settled over him, despite the warmth of the room. His father had been busy. The geneticists that his father worked with (re: threatened) to create his akuma soldiers sat in the chairs set up in front of the desk, Hawkmoth's assistant, Mayura, standing by his side. He waved for the two scientists to leave and they stood, heading for the door.  
The woman waved at him as she passed, energetic and bubbly, while her far more nervous companion offered a small smile. Dusuu and Nooroo, the two scientists that were the brains behind the whole operation. Nooroo was solely a geneticist, but Dusuu seemed to run more... experimental projects. Creating artificial sentience from nothing except for a couple basic cells and test tubes. Her work was incredible- or to be more accurate, incredibly terrifying.  
The woman herself was kind though, and he mourned the fact that she was leaving. The fact that both of them were leaving.  
Being stuck alone with Hawkmoth wasn't a fate he'd wish on many people.

"Father. Mayura." He nodded to each in turn. "You wanted to see me?"

"You failed in your mission." His father's voice was cold and he felt his muscles tense involuntarily, carefully measuring his next words. 

"I wasn't informed of the entire team being there. I couldn't take them all by myself, even if I wanted to."

"And the records?"

"The description I was given didn't lead me to the wrong one. I was given minimal information on it, when it would have helped me succeed in my task if I'd been properly briefed." 

His voice had been sharp, and in the fraction of the second it took his father to speak, he knew he'd slipped up. His tone had been too disrespectful, and that wouldn't stand.

"You failed because you're weak." Hawkmoth snarled. "You're too weak to be trusted with any of this. Maybe if you were better at the simple opportunities you've been given to prove yourself, maybe we'd have given you the information."

"But father-"

"That's enough out of you. I'll assign Volpina to head up the mission instead. I have faith that she won't fail me."

Mayura had been fairly quiet, her folded fan tapping a nearly silent rhythm against her skirt. He was the only one who noticed when it stopped, feeling her eyes burning through him while Hawkmoth spoke. And then she finally spoke up. "Should I take him to one of the medics, sir? He looks unwell."

There was a silence as the man stood, walking over to the portrait of a familiar woman. "Go. I don't need him blocking a hallway. Send Miss Rossi in on your way out, she wouldn't have gone far." She nodded, walking forwards and escorting Chat out of the office.

The minute the door closed behind Volpina, Mayura was basically pushing him down the hall. "What happened?"

"What?"

"While you were there, it’s clear something happened. I want to know what."

"I don't know..." He nearly tripped, shaking his head. "Nothing. Just some kind of tech, I think."

"Really?" She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. "Interesting."

She left him at the door, heels audibly clicking even once she was out of sight. He nearly slumped over right then and there, the wave of pure exhaustion that had been building up finally hitting him. He pushed his visor up, opening the door and stepping inside.

The fluorescent lights from the med bay were hell for his senses, causing him to close his eyes and drop into the nearest chair, mind racing. His father wouldn’t help him and frankly, he didn’t trust Mayura. He couldn’t help but feel like he was on the verge of finding out something important though. He needed to find out what had happened, but he was on his own to figure it out. 

But of course that was nothing new now, was it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we get a bit of exposition on Chat! It's still a little slow, I'm sorry, but you'll get their first real interaction next chapter! Please comment, and feel free to send me asks over on my tumblr, miraculous-mess. Thanks for reading!  
> \- Mess


	3. Ladybug

She knew someone was there the minute she entered the room. The cameras always made a barely there faint whirr that she was fairly certain only she could hear, and that she'd grown accustomed to over the years, and the room was now all too quiet without them.

The whole day had been a failure.  
She'd felt weird since the moment she'd woken up, a constant buzz in her head and a tingle up her spine. It had almost felt like someone was watching her, but she'd triple checked and there was nothing except the usual security cameras stationed in the corners of the rooms and lining the hall. What bothered her most of all is that no one could even guess as to what could have happened. 

Tikki, one of the head doctors and the one who was in charge of her had run some tests, and nothing had come up. Which didn't make any sense at all. The usually cheerful woman had been quiet as she examined the results, and that was concerning for Ladybug. She'd even brought another doctor in, a man with dark hair and piercing green eyes who she'd called Plagg.  
Neither of them had seen anything out of the ordinary, but it looked like Plagg had shot the woman a knowing look and she could have sworn she'd heard them whispering as she walked out of the room. She couldn't make out anything they'd said though, and so that was added to the ever growing pile of frustrations that the day seemed to hold for her.

The records had been empty of anything regarding Chat Noir, anything that could have helped her figure out what had happened. But there was nothing. Nothing at all. It was like anything they had on one of their biggest enemies had been removed.  
She'd spent the entire day in that stupid room, missing both lunch and dinner only to turn up empty handed. It was driving her insane. Because something had very clearly happened to her. She just couldn't for the life of her figure out what it could possibly be.

And now, to top it all off, someone had decided it was a smart idea to break into her room. They’d even left the window open.  
Sloppy.

"Listen, I've had a bad day. So I'm going to give you three seconds to get out of here because I really don't feel like fighting." She called into the darkness, cracking her knuckles.

Nothing but silence in response. That was fine. She could easily take anyone in a fight, and she really needed a win today, of all days.

"One."

Her eyes were starting to adjust to the dark room, and she could just start to make out a figure in the corner.

"Two."

It didn't move, and she stepped forward, raising her fists and preparing herself.

"Three-"

The figure moved almost faster than she could track, hooking an arm around her stomach and a hand covering her mouth. "I'm really doubting you want to do that." A voice whispered in her ear, holding her still.

A moment passed before she sighed, pushing his hand off her mouth, realizing that the open window had been completely intentional. It had been to let her know, to make her think whoever had come in was sloppy so she wouldn’t call for help. "Chat Noir. Why the hell are you here?"

"Nice to see you too, Bug. Would you mind closing the door and turning a light on?" 

She did what he asked, setting her own weapon down. "You aren't armed, are you? Because that would be incredibly stupid."

He pushed himself off the wall, walking forward and holding his hands up with a lopsided smile. "Relax, Bugaboo. I didn't bring anything with me. I just want to talk."

"About?" She crossed her arms, eyes fixed on him as he walked over and sat on the bed. 

"Don't play dumb when we both know you're not." Chat scoffed. "Whatever the hell happened to us could easily happen again, and I want an explanation for it before it does."

She noticed he still hadn't removed his visor since he'd come in, and decided that he was probably right in doing so. Unrestricted eye contact had set whatever had happened off before, and so he was smart to keep it from happening again. After all, he still had to get back to his base later. "Both of us do. But there's nothing in the records on you, and we certainly don't have a history."

"You know that for sure?"

She forced a laugh, crossing her arms defensively. "Obviously."

His silence was enough to make her fidget, and she could tell he didn't believe her even without seeing his eyes. How could she manage to pass off a lie to nearly anyone alive without batting an eye or having them question her at all, but she couldn't even find it in herself right now to lie to an enemy soldier? "I- you know what, I really don't think it's any of your business, to be quite honest." Her tone was sharper than she meant it to be, but it seemed to drive the point home. "You're the enemy. I sincerely doubt that I can stress this enough. How am I supposed to know you didn't cause all of this in an attempt to get me to open up?"

He sighed, stretching. "I'm guessing that cat's honour isn't good enough?" It didn't matter how light his tone was, he clearly didn't want to give her any information.

"Not in the slightest."

"Buzzkill." He looked up at her, clearly examining her in a way that vaguely reminded her of the second doctor from earlier. The man that Tikki had called in, Plagg. It didn’t make her uncomfortable, even though it felt like he could see right through her with ease. "Look, why would I cause something that hit me as hard as it hit you?" He pulled his feet up onto the bed and she made a face in return. "It's a stupid move, and I know that I, at least, am way above it. We're holding our own and we don't need to use something that could potentially hurt our numbers."

"That's... that's fair, actually." She sighed, finally pulling the desk chair over to the bed and sitting down. "I can’t believe it hit both of us that hard, whatever it was…” She shook her head, rolling her shoulders back and trying to sit a little taller in her chair. “I hope you know I'm not trusting you with much, by the way."

"I'd be surprised if you did." He waved a hand dismissively, managing to look completely nonchalant while he did, and she narrowed her eyes.

"You really have no idea what happened, do you?" He asked, eyeing her through his visor.

"No. But I'm more than ready to find out." She held out her hand. "I can’t believe I’m about to ask this, but what do you say, Chat Noir? Temporary partners?" 

He reached out, grabbing her hand and lifting it to brush a kiss against her knuckles, while she tried to push aside the odd feeling of familiarity that came with the simple gesture. "Temporary partners it is, my lady."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're finally getting some real Ladynoir interactions! I hope you enjoyed!  
> Until next time!  
> \- Mess


	4. Chat Noir

The dream had started out pleasantly enough. 

He'd been sitting in a slightly fuzzy, warm room, golden sunlight streaming in through a window and catching the blonde hair of the woman next to him. She hummed what sounded like a soft, comforting lullaby, and he could feel her hand resting on his shoulder. 

"Mama?" The voice came from where he sat, and he somehow knew it was his own.

"Yes, kitten?"

"Where did papa go?" He saw her look down before looking over at him, her smile not meeting her eyes. 

"He's not around, mon minou." She murmured, her soft voice barely reaching his ears, before she brightened a little. "Besides, we're doing just fine on our own, aren't we?" She grinned, her green eyes sparkling with amusement as she poked his stomach, making him laugh.

He'd been so happy...

And then the scene changed, crumbling around him. The warmth he'd felt before was replaced by a crushing feeling of grief, weighing down on him.

It was cold now, a drizzling rain soaking his black clothes and mixing with the tears on his cheeks. An umbrella opened above his head and a hand took his own. A coffin stood in front of them and a voice droned in his ears as the chill seeped into his bones and he found it hard to stand. The only thing keeping him grounded- the only thing keeping him sane at all was the warm hand in his own. 

"It'll be okay." He heard her whisper, squeezing his hand in a way that was meant to comfort him. "I promise you'll be okay. It's- it's like you always say, right? You and me against the world. I'll be with you no matter what. We all will be."

He nodded, (or at least he thought he did) feeling nothing but overwhelming grief and the warmth of her hand, but somehow managing to squeeze it back.

And then the scene crashed around him, turning into falling debris, and he suddenly couldn't breathe.   
The kind girl was gone, and there was nothing to keep him grounded anymore. Nothing left to keep him sane.  
His voice was hoarse as he screamed for help, unable to stop himself from inhaling the smoke that billowed out and made his eyes water more than the fires that flared up all around him.   
"Ladybug!" He heard himself cry, stumbling over a chunk of rock and falling to his hands and knees, losing his visor in the process.

"Plagg!" He yelled a second familiar name, the static from his earpiece still crackling in his ear. A pink gas began to into his line of vision and he instinctively tried to cover his mouth and nose just a moment too late.

He was losing consciousness fast, the world spinning as his breathing turned ragged.  
And just as he blacked out, he'd called out one last time. One last desperate attempt, one last try at calling for the person who had been by his side through everything.  
"Marinette..."

He sat up, gasping for breath in his bed, tears in his eyes and his heartbeat racing in his ears. He gripped the blankets on the bed, sucking in a proper breath and trying to calm himself down.

There was no fire. No smoke. He was fine.

It had been a day since he'd seen Ladybug. One day. He hadn't even looked her in the eyes properly, and now he was having nightmares again. This had to have something to do with her.

He swung his legs out of bed, standing up and not even bothering to put on shoes, just opening the door and walking down the cold hallway.   
He didn't even know exactly where he was walking until he ended up at Nooroo's office, where the light was still on even though it was only around two in the morning.

And then there were voices. 

Nooroo was clearly one of them, and then there was a second one, yelling at him.  
That was his father.

"You told me it would be permanent!"

"It should have been, I'm sorry-"

"I don't want your apologies, Nooroo. I want a solution to this problem, and I want it now."

"I'll do my best, but I worked on the mechanics of the procedure with my partners, I don't want to disturb what's already so fragile-"

"I don't care if you disturb it. I want it fixed." Chat darted to the side and out of sight as the door slammed open.  
"Goodnight, Nooroo. I want a solution by tomorrow."

Hawkmoth didn't even notice his son as he walked down the cold hall, and  
Chat hesitated, looking around to check that the hallway was still empty, double checking for Volpina before tapping on the door, stepping inside. "Nooroo?"

The man looked up, rubbing his eyes. "Chat Noir? Is something wrong?"

He stepped inside, shrugging. "I couldn't sleep, and... I heard voices. Why was he here? You can't still have work to do at this time." 

"No, I don't." He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Although I'm fairly certain Duusu is still willingly in her lab. She was recently assigned a new project that she seems... excited about."

Chat shuddered, shaking his head. "Good for her, I guess."

Nooroo nodded, shrugging. "I suppose... how much of it did you hear?"

"Not much." He glanced over at the open file sitting on the desk, and jumping when it closed before he could read anything. "It was more confusing than anything."

"Good, good. If you don't mind my asking, what brought you this way, especially at this hour? I can't imagine why you'd come here instead of... the kitchens, maybe. Or the roof, you do seem to like it up there..."

"I just came this way, I guess. Don't really know why, I just started walking and ended up here." He shrugged.

"Did you?" The man's oddly coloured eyes seemed far older than they appeared in that moment, and it made him fidget uncomfortably even though Nooroo's expression was concerned. "And you got up because of a nightmare?"

"Um... yeah. It was creepy, that's all."

Nooroo sat back in his chair, tilting his head. "Did you want to talk about it?"

He paused before shaking his head. "I don't remember much of it," he lied. "It just came out of the blue, that's all. Haven't had one in a long time."

"You know you're allowed to be honest around me, Chat Noir." Those damned purple eyes made Chat feel like Nooroo knew exactly what was going on with him right now, but was just going to keep quiet until he'd told him all of the facts. "But I won't push you. Just know that my door is always open for you."

"Right... Nooroo?"

"Yes?"

"How did I get here?"

There was a long silence, and Nooroo looked over to a framed photograph of himself and some other people, before looking back at him.

"You came because of Hawkmoth." Chat frowned, opening his mouth to ask another question before Nooroo shook his head.   
"I think it's about time you went back to your room. You need some sleep for tomorrow, alright?"

"I guess... Thank you, Nooroo."

"Of course. Sweet dreams, Chat Noir."

"Yeah." He murmured, turning towards the door. "I'll do my best."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're making some progress! ... Kind of.   
> Hope you enjoyed!


	5. Ladybug

The clock was hitting three thirty in the morning as she sat down on the chilly rooftop. All she could hear was the faint noise of the security cameras as she lay back and looked up at the sky. 

Her dreams had been weird ever since she'd met Chat. Hazy, colourful images that felt so real. Like she could reach out and touch them. A sunlit classroom with two desks, a steaming mug of hot cocoa, a clear, easy laugh and a pinky promise.  
Silent sobs, a crushing weight, a cold, quiet emptiness.

But none of it was real. it couldn't possibly be. The warm, sunlit classroom wasn't like any room she'd ever seen before, they didn't have any hot chocolate at her base, and she'd never seen the young boy who'd been sitting across from her, laughing and grinning widely.  
And she'd never felt anything like that pain.

So where were these images, these feelings, coming from?

She sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her face. Why was she even up here? She had no reason to be.

"What are you doing up so late, kid?"

There was a familiar drawl to the voice that called from behind her, and it reminded her of Chat.  
But it wasn't him. This was the man that Tikki knew. Plagg.

"Is there a reason I can't be?" She asked, far too much false confidence in her answer.

There was silence as he walked over, sitting just a little ways away. She was quiet, just waiting to see what he'd do when he finally spoke.  
"What's on your mind?"

"What?"

"You've clearly got a lot going on in your head. So what are you thinking about?"

"Um... nothing important, I guess."

"Are you sure?" He tilted his head, and she felt as if he could see straight through her. "Weren't you in the records the other day?"

"Yeah?" She sat up, looking over. "So?" It wasn't normal for her to spend much time in the records, let alone an entire day. And she felt like Plagg knew that, somehow.

"Relax, Bug. It's fine. What were you looking for in there, anyways?"

"Doesn't matter. It wasn't there." She shrugged, looking back up at the sky. "It was a wasted day."

"Was it?" Ladybug looked over, confused. "If you tell me what you're looking for, I could help."

"I didn't think you knew anything about the records." She laughed slightly, but fell quiet when she saw Plagg's expression.

"Kid, I know a lot more than most of you seem to think. So what was it?"

She hesitated before sighing. "I was looking for information on Chat Noir, and the files on the original soldier."

The quiet settled in again, and she thought she was going to get lectured before she finally heard him. "I think that everything you're looking for is in Fu's office."

"His office? But we don't go in there unless he calls for us- and why would he have separate records...?"

Plagg yawned loudly, standing up and stretching. "I don't know how badly you want your answers, Pigtails. I just know that there are some books in there that you won't find in records, and I'm fairly certain that they have what you're looking for." He shrugged, turning around.  
"But if you don't care, then that's none of my business. Goodnight, Ladybug."

"Goodnight, I guess." She murmured, tugging on the end of her braid.  
Pigtails? Where had that come from?  
But she could worry about that some other time. For now, she had to focus on seeing what she could find inside of Master Fu's office.

It was completely against the rules, but if that was going to be her only way to proper answers, then so be it.  
All she had to do was get in quickly, find the book that Plagg had been talking about, and then get back to her room.  
Easy.

She jogged down the hall silently, avoiding the cameras and pulling her sleeve over her hand to turn the door handle. The brass plaque on the door glinted in the dim light as she swung it open, 'Master Wang Fu' printed on it.  
He was a general, although you'd never know it. For as long as she could remember, he'd had her and everyone else on her team call him Master Fu, not General. His office, even though it was dark, was warm and almost calming.  
But she couldn't focus on that. She had to stay sharp, while she looked for the book Plagg had told her about. It didn't help that she didn't know what it looked like.

But from the way Plagg had been talking about it, this was important. So...  
She walked over to the desk, feeling around the edges and letting out a breath when a small piece sunk in and a compartment popped out. It didn't contain much, just a simple journal and a silver ring. She left the ring alone, picking the book up and closing it quickly, stepping out of the office and letting the door shut behind her as she ran back to her room.

It occurred to her that she could have just asked for the book in the morning, but a little voice in the back of her head told her that asking never would have worked. If she had really been allowed to take a look at whatever was inside the book she held, then it would be in the records. 

Plagg had to be right about the importance of whatever it's contents were, at least. She knew to look for secret compartments, but no one else would think to do it.  
Hell, she didn't even know how or why she thought to do it.

She got back to her room, finally letting herself relax. She'd set the camera up earlier to make it look like she was still asleep, so she didn't have to worry about hiding anything. And so she carefully opened the book to the first page.

She recognised the names on the first page. Tikki's signature was familiar to her, as was Master Fu's. Plagg's was discernible, at least, and she noticed a few other signatures there too. All of the other doctors were on there, along with three names she didn't know at all. Tom Dupain, Sabine Cheng and Emilie Graham De Vanily. 

She flipped through the pages, smiling slightly at a photograph. It featured all the doctors, looking like they hadn't aged a day, and Fu, who looked about twenty years younger. They were all smiling, they had their arms around each other and they all looked happy. Plagg caught her eye especially. 

In the photo he was smiling, his arm around Tikki's waist, and the other around Trixx's shoulders. But when she'd seen him last he'd looked worn and tired, and although it looked like he hadn't aged a day since the picture was taken, it also looked like he had been through hell and come back a different person. So different from the man in the picture, full of life and happiness. What could have happened to make him like that?

She rubbed her eyes, going to flip the page again when she noticed the time. It was nearly five in the morning, and her alarm would be going off in about half an hour. She sighed, closing the book and hesitating before slitting the bottom of her mattress, pushing the book in and concealing it. If the journal had been hidden before, it would stay that way. Just in a different location now.

But it didn't matter that she was trying to sleep though, because her thoughts wouldn't let her. This could be the first step to finding out what was wrong with them. Maybe it had happened to the first subject too.  
Maybe now she could finally start to remember who she had been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I try to cram a lot into this chapter? Maybe. But now more is going to start happening, trust me!  
> I hope you enjoyed reading! Until next time!  
> \- Mess


	6. Chat Noir

"So... what exactly am I looking at?" Chat stared at the book, turning it over in his hands.

"You're looking at a firsthand account of the first subjects like us." Ladybug sat down on her bed, a smug grin on her face. 

"You're kidding." He flipped it open. "How did you find this?"

"A little bit of advice and..." She hesitated. "Maybe sneaking in somewhere I shouldn't have been." He paused his pacing to grin at her and she shot him a look, pointing at him. "Don't you dare say a word. Look at it!"   
She stood up to grab it out of his hands, flipping through until she found the page of signatures, handing it back to him. "My boss was in charge of the project! And look, here are all the doctors- well, I think? There are a couple others here that I don't know, but..."

Chat nodded, starting to walk back and forth again. "Yeah, I get it." He nearly stumbled when he recognised a name from a nightmare of his; Plagg. That had been one of the last things he'd shouted before he'd blacked out and woken up.   
But that wasn't something to focus on quite yet. He shook his head to clear it, turning to her. "You think this has everything?"

"Well, I don't know about everything? But it definitely gives us more than we had before." She shrugged, before lighting up.   
"Like- I was looking for answers on the first subject, right? The first one like me, I mean. Because maybe it's something about the modifications that's doing all this? But the thing is, there were two! A boy and a girl. I almost feel like I should know them, but- here, look!"

She put a hand on his shoulder to pause his walk, turning another page to show two pages side by side containing information on two children. "They were started young. Maybe I wasn't, maybe that's the issue..." He raised an eyebrow, looking over to her at that, but she avoided looking him in the eyes. Odd. After their first official meeting, she usually didn't do that. "I'm one hundred percent certain something in this book is important- it's going to have answers for us."

"Right..." He stared at a line of blacked out text, frowning slightly. "Does it say the names of the two at all? That shouldn't be something they want to forget."

"That's the thing..." Ladybug pulled him to sit with her on the bed. "There are names, but they've been blacked out. They've left the two first initials, but that's it. I'm guessing something happened to them, but I don't know what it could have been. Maybe they left?"

"Yeah. That could be it." He nodded, turning the next page.   
It looked like there had been a photograph there, but it had been pulled off the paper. There was a record there in different handwriting about a girl and the first round of enhancements. From how it was written, it seemed like there would be a new round every two weeks so the little girl's body would have time to adjust.

"That's Tikki's handwriting." She murmured. "I had no idea she was in charge of the first subject."

"Tikki?"

"One of the head doctors here. A scientist too, apparently." Ladybug shrugged."She's in charge of me now, and I'm happy for it. She's sweet."

"Huh... is this how your process went too? The enhancements happening every two weeks?" He glanced over, trying to read her reaction. "I mean it could be what's different from them that's causing the issue."

"Yeah and... maybe? I'd have to ask." She was avoiding his eyes again, but he wasn't letting the opportunity slip away this time.

"You'd have to ask? Why?"

She fidgeted, her hands starting to gesture meaninglessly as she spoke. "Just- um- It's been a while, so-"

"Ladybug." He sighed.

"What?"

Chat turned to her, setting the book aside. "You don't remember, do you?"

He didn't understand why she was so easy to read to him, she just was. "Well, yeah, it's been a while-"

"Ladybug, that's not what I'm talking about and you know that." He set the book aside, moving his hand to rest on her shoulder. "You're too smart for that. So be honest."

His words echoed before the quiet settled in, but this kind of silence didn't bother him. He knew he'd gotten through to her, although he wasn't sure how he knew this. And so he just settled into the lull, leaning into her to provide some form of comfort while she sorted out her words.  
And after a minute, she spoke.

"I... I don't remember anything past a year ago. Is that what you're looking for? Sometimes I feel like there are things I should know, or there's just a feeling... but no memories." She slumped. "That's why I'm so invested in this. I'm hoping that maybe we'll find something that can trigger who I was before all this."

There was no hesitation when he reached for her hand, and she relaxed ever so slightly. "Bugaboo, I'm not going to use this against you. You should know me better than that by now."

She hummed an acknowledgement, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "I also know you well enough to know you've got a secret of your own."

"Maybe I do. And I know you're too nice to use it against me." He grinned, nudging her.

"Am I?" She snickered, looking up at him.

"Oh, absolutely. But I trust you." He laughed, shaking his head before deciding to actually be serious. "My memory's almost worse than yours. Pretty much the same though."

In that instant, her mood turned from relaxed to dead serious. "Really? You're not kidding?" When he shook his head, she stood up and started mimicking his pacing from earlier.   
"That's probably what we've been missing! That's our connection! It must have been done by the same thing- Do you think we were together when whatever it was happened? No, you said almost as bad. That would imply that your memory is a little better than mine..."

He was happy to just sit back and listen as she paced, waving her hands around and theorising. He'd chime in every so often, but just let her ramble for the most part. He didn't exactly mind listening to her talk anyways.

But eventually they noticed the time and he had to leave. She'd pushed the book into his hands, saying that maybe it wasn't as important, but it was still interesting and he'd just nodded, smiling at her excitement.  
"Try to get a little sleep tonight, will you?" He'd laughed as he hopped onto her windowsill. 

"I'll do my best." She'd grinned, rolling her eyes playfully and giving him a gentle push. "See you later, Chat."

"Until later, my lady." He had taken her hand, brushing a kiss against her knuckles and giving her a two fingered salute before turning and jumping to the roof below her window.

Her laugh echoed to where he stood, and he was unable to wipe the smile off his face as he made his way back to the fortress that he was considering less of a home after every visit with Ladybug. 

Any day now they'd have an answer. 

They'd know who they were, and he wouldn't have to rely solely on what he was told by his father.   
He wouldn't have to keep returning back to the cold fortress he'd called home for the past year.

Any day now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now they know about each other's memory issues! And that only took us... six chapters.  
> Hope you enjoyed!  
> \- Mess


	7. Ladybug

Ladybug's boots hit the floor in front of Fu's office as she paced back and forth, waiting to be called in. She'd been pulled out of training to be here, and she couldn't help but worry why. Had he figured out she'd taken the book? There was no real way he could have known for sure, unless Plagg told him. And Plagg didn't seem like the type to do that. But she'd worry anyways. Her pacing stopped when the door swung open and Tikki walked out, followed closely by Plagg. The former shot her a warm, slightly weary smile, while the second nodded to her in acknowledgement, the look on his face warning her to be careful. She nodded in return, hoping it conveyed that she would be. There was a reason Fu had kept the book locked away, he couldn't know that she was the one who'd taken it.   
"Ladybug?" A familiar voice echoed from inside, and she walked in, standing at attention. "Master Fu, what can I do for you?" The old man smiled kindly at her, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. "Have a seat. It's been a while since we spoke last, hasn't it?"

"Yes, sir." She murmured, sliding into the seat and trying not to shiver at the odd chill. The room typically felt warm and welcoming, but today it just felt uncomfortable, almost stifling. "You've been busy, I understand. We are fighting a war here." "Indeed we are. Which is why I've brought you in today. You're excelling at training, I've been told, and you took down Chat Noir and the akuma recently with minimal damage to the base, yourself and your team." 

So he hadn't been filled in about what happened? Probably for a reason, but that was still odd. He typically knew of everything that was going on, she'd never known him to not know exactly what was going on at any given moment in time. But she'd keep her mouth shut for the time being, and look into that later. "Thank you, Master Fu. You're too kind." 

"Of course. May I ask you something?" She nodded, forcing herself to relax and listen. "Have you noticed anyone suspicious, lately?"

"Suspicious?" 

"I'm usually very careful with my possessions, and one of my most valuable books seems to have gone missing. There shouldn't be any explanation for it disappearing aside from someone taking it." 

"I see…” She murmured. “Do you have any ideas about where to start? Who to ask?" 

"I have my suspicions, but that's none of your concern as of yet. Just keep an eye out for me, will you? I trust you." 

She nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt as she spoke. "Thank you, sir. I'll do my best." 

"I know you will. You're dismissed." She nodded, standing up and turning around, glancing over her shoulder once before walking out the door. 

He clearly didn't seem to think it was her. But then if it wasn't her, who was it? She sighed, starting back down the hallway and checking her communicator.   
She and Chat had set up a hidden comm channel where they could talk, and he'd just sent something when she was in Fu's office. It just looked like a message with an image attachment. He was the one who had the book right now, so this was something he'd been doing for the past couple of days to keep her updated. She was about to open it to see what it was, but she could hear footsteps from behind her, and she shut it off quickly. It didn't matter who it was, she couldn't trust them with this. 

"Pigtails, would you slow down?" 

So it was Plagg. "I don't know why you call me that." She rolled her eyes, turning around. "But hello. Did something happen?" 

"You could say that." Every time she'd seen Plagg, he'd been fairly calm and collected. But now he was fidgety, uncomfortable and nervous. "I'm guessing Fu told you about the book being missing?" 

"Yeah..." She hesitated before it clicked in her mind. "He thinks you took it, doesn't he?" He gave a short nod, and she groaned. "How could he? You helped with the original subjects, didn't you? You've been on his side since the beginning!"

His gaze darkened. “Kid, it’s more complicated than that.”

“I don’t think it is!”

“Pigtails.” His tone shut her up quickly, and she refocused on him. “He thinks I would do it. And he’s not changing his mind now. Which means I might not be around here much longer if he sticks with that theory. You need to figure out who to trust, okay?”

“I- yeah, I guess?” She shook her head. “Are you even going to try and convince him you’re innocent?”

“Course I am.” He smiled wryly. “But he’s made up his mind. I don’t have a say anymore.” The man shrugged and for the first time she noticed how truly worn he looked. He didn’t look old at all, but he looked drained. “He can be impossible to reason with. I have experience.”

“I’ve never known him to be like that.” She mumbled, fidgeting a little. The second she said the words, they felt wrong, as if she knew she was lying to herself.

“Yes, you have.” He tilted his head. “You just don’t remember it.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean-”

He put his hands on her shoulders, voice lowering as he started to talk quickly. “Kid, listen. Fu’s going to come find me soon, and if he’s going to boot me out soon, I might as well tell you some restricted information before I go. You're memories? They’re still in that head of yours. You just need to find the right trigger to get them back, okay?”

"Plagg, what are you talking about, how do you know-"

"Plagg." Fu appeared at the end of the hallway, starting to walk towards them. "We need to chat, old friend."

"Course.” He called, and glanced back at her. “Look for the trigger, Pigtails." He muttered, before letting go and turning to Master Fu, heading towards him. 

She stood there, frozen and quiet as Plagg reached the general. She'd never been afraid of Fu before, but now...

The two men turned a corner and disappeared from her sight, and she immediately tore off towards her room. She had to fill Chat in on this, now.   
She nearly ran directly into Rena Rouge, calling out an apology as she twisted around her and ran past. She heard her teammate's voice as she said something, but she didn't process whatever it was as she dashed up a flight of stairs, her heart pounding against her chest and blood rushing in her ears.

Ladybug swung her door open, stepping in and locking the door behind her, pulling out her communicator and tapping on the image. It was of the remaining piece of a page that had been torn out of the book, right near the end. Only a couple words were left on the page in Tikki's precise handwriting.  
'Too risky'  
'Fu's decided'  
'memory wipe'

Chat's message read; 'Did you see this? Is this about you?'  
Could it be about her? This was about the first two subjects, there was no way it could be about her. But it had mentioned a memory wipe...

She reread the remainder of the page again, trying to stop her hands from shaking as she typed out a message to him.

'I've got new information. Bring the book with you, you've got to come here now.'

She saw he was typing before a message popped up from him and she let out a sigh of relief, relaxing ever so slightly when she read it over.

'I'm on my way.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to update two days ago, and I'm sorry! My excuse is that it was Kacchako week, and I was busy! (If you want to see the art I made, it's over on Instagram (@classy.cas_arts)  
> I won't be updating next time as scheduled because I'm away for a bit, but I'll get the next chapter to you as soon as possible!  
> I hope you enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading! Sorry if this chapter was a little slow, but it'll pick up after the exposition, I promise. I'm guessing it'll have up to fifteen chapters in total, so there's more to look forward to! I love reading your comments or answering questions, and you're welcome to come find me on my tumblr. (I'm miraculous_mess over there too!)  
> See you next update!  
> \- Mess


End file.
